Underdrive punch press



F. K. MAUSSNEST UNDERDRIVE PUNCH PRESS March 6, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1948 March 6, 195] F. K. MAUSSNEST UNDERDRIVE PUNCH PRESS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 17, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

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Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNDERDRIVE PUNCH PRESS Eredcriclelfi. .Maussnest, Queensrvillagc, N. Y

assignor. to... Hedwig Maust, Queens Village ApplicationEebruary 17, 1948, SerialNo. 8 ,816

3.Claims,.. 01. 1641-102) The: present: inventionrelates to the class. of: machines generally known as punch presses. which.v are: commonly used; for; blanking-,1 stamping; embossing; drawing; or forming metallic and;

nonrmetallic: articles: from strips on sheetseby. 5

employing suitable tools, such! as; punchesaand. dies; More particularly; this; invention relates to such; punchgpressesawithunderdrivai where the drive+shaft-. and: flywheel. are located in: the:

base. of 1 theymachine and theruppen cross-head,

Between;

They mus'rsbe. manufac--- uideseforrthedowerz cross-head for other: classes;

h press work;

Another object is: the.v provision; ofa inclining; means for the frame of a punch press ofithei character; described, having: inclining means adaptedv to swing; said frame; around the drive.- shaft; as-=,a. pivot point.

A further; object is;.to, ipl'OJ/idfi': the.-.n0yel-punch: press in combination with. the: inclining; mecha?: nism vwith: a. direct drive by mounting; thet'motor. or other driving. means; on.. .a; base:- or, platform: forming a. part of; or being attached to; said; inclining; device.. so; that. they complete-press in:;- cluding. itsgdrive, forms; one; unit;: capab1ea Qfg'being; placed asgsuch in any, production. line.

These; and other. obj ects-y of. the invention. will. appear as: the-mechanismis.- described in.- detail In the accompanying drawings, Fig.1 is a front" elevation, partlyibroken away, of.-.a punch press embodying-my:inve ntion;

Fig. 2; is; a.- left, hand:- side. view. of. a. similar;

press; partly broken. away along; line. 2.i2- of Fig. 3;.

Fig.1 3 depicts ascross-sectionallview alongline.

and; die duringtherworking operation;v Rreviously; known designs-l have; gone. to great rlengthsz to create;precisioni-alignment; between the-:upper cross-head; carrying; the; punch, and the, table onywhichthedielis mounted; bye providin long; guides for. the lower crossrhead'as-=;well.- as for? the-draw-rodsa The; principal. objects; off-the; invention" isthe: provision? of guiding meansrforthe; uppercrosshead: proper: so; that? this cross-head will. always" be positively guided; parallelitoithe tables. and! whilsauxiliary: guides known heretoforemay be employedi for the lower; cross-head? and; for: the-5. draw-rods inaddition toxtheinovel sguiding means;

proposed; reliance musti not. beaplaced exclusively: 40

on such-auxiliaryva-nd indirectrguiding means forthe upper: crossehead; but the". latter will be aligned F at'lall times by: my novelv guiding: meanswhich directly support-said uppercross-head;

whereby: the latter: will even be maintained in 5 parallel rel ation-rto -tl'ia presstbed whenthe =-upper-' cross-head-"is subjected to eccentric-loads.

It *is another' obj ect "of -'the invention to provide= adjusting means for-the wearing surfaces of the guiding: means: to keep cross-head and bed per-= 5 manentlyimprecise-alignment:

Another object-*offtl'ie invention isthe e1imination: of guides" forthe; drawrode for certainclassesofj'punchpress work;

A still further object the elimination of'" B5 Fig. 4- is a. front. elevationof azpress, having.

a modifiedanmseparate guide; frame. for. the. up..-

per, cross-head, mounted. on. rods which. arefasr tened .torthe .pressframe. proper Fig, 5 is; a. plan. view, of the..press.- shown in.

Fig:- 4.;

Fig 6. shows .aileft' hand.side .view of. the same.

Fig, 7.. illustrates. a, presswembodyingthe in-. i5 ventionwiththe frame adapted to be.inclined;

Eig. Sshowsthepedestal fonincliningthe press frame, in. section along line .BQ-BI ofrFig, '7' together with. a. V-belt drive from. theprime: mover;

tolthe clutch-flywheel.

Referring to Fig, 1" ofithedrawings. the mar chine comprises aymain frame II which may-beplaced. directly on .a .fioor. A. heavy cross-rib; I 2- of" frame iii 1. forms the .presstable; .on'.which" the. die is supported. The punchris adapted to be carried, by a generally square or rectangularly shaped upperrcross-head l3, which is1ocated above table or die-support l-25 andf operatively connected't'to-asimilarly shapedflower cross-head lfibyiourcylindrical rods l5; which'may; be of tubular cross-section to decrease their mass. The opposite ends of the rods l5 may'betiedtothe upper andlower cross-heads I 3 and Mbymeans ornuts Hi and lock-nuts I T? A crankshaft I8 islocat'ed between lower cross-headi i 4 and 1 press bed- 12; mounted in'lcearings' I9- and ZU- of'Trame' 3 II, respectively. The crankshaft or drive-shaft I8 carries a pitman 2| connected to lower crosshead I4 by a suitable connection, such as a balltype screw connection 23. A nut 24, integral with the screw 23, may be employed for adjusting the lower cross-head I4 and consequently the upper cross-head I3 in vertical directions for setting the tools. A lock-nut 25 may be provided to prevent movement of the screw 23 by tightenning said lock-nut 25 against the pitman 2 I. This and similar pitman connections are common to machines of this type.

The crankshaft I8 may carry counterweights 26 adjacent to the cheeks 21 for counteracting the unbalanced inertia forces of the crank mechanism. These counterweights may be angularly displaced on shaft I8 and locked in their selected respective positions by any suitable means, setscrews 2611 being shown as an example. By placing these adjustable counterweights 25 in different positions one with respect to the other, unbalance from zero to their combinedmaximum may be corrected in any required angular direction.

Crankshaft II; also carries the clutch-flywheel 28 and a suitable brake 29 for bringing the press to a stop, and may be driven in an ordinary manner, such as by an electric motor 353 and vbelts 3I (Fig. 8). Clutch-flywheel 28 may be coupled with crankshaft I-B in any suitable manner and not specifically shown herein, because these clutching means will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and are not necessary for a clear understanding of the invention. The crank mechanism is adapted to reciprocate the upper and lower cross-heads, which, together with the rods I5, form the reciprocating crosshead structure.

Fig. 1 depicts this cross-head structure guided on the draw-rods I by means of split, tapered bushings 32 in bed I2, threaded at their upper ends and adjustable by means of coacting threaded nuts 33 which rest on top of bed I2. The lower cross-head I4 is not specifically guided. However, according to the present invention, the up-- per cross-head I3 is positively supported and in sliding engagement with the main frame II of the machine so that parallel alignment of crosshead I3 with bed I2 is maintained at all times. To make the description simple, allthe presses shown in the several illustrations are depicted with similar V-type guides or gibs for the crossheads. Therefore, while Fig. 3 illustrates a section through the upper cross-head of the press shown in Fig. 2, this Fig. 3 is also representative of a similarly located cross-section of the press depicted in Fig. 1. The upper cross-head or slide I3 may be provided with V-shaped grooves 33 adjacent to the corners thereof. Matching gibs 35 may be held against side-movement between suitable vertical shoulders 36 of frame I I. A plurality of set-screws 37, threaded in frame II, abut the vertical gibs 35 for adjustment of the sliding clearance between the gibs 35 and cross-head I3. Lock-nuts 38 serve the purpose of maintaining set-screws 3'! in their adjusted positions. Screws or bolts 39, threaded into tapped holesof gibs 35, are adapted to draw the gibs up against said setscrews 31 and to maintain the gibs in the desired vertical position.

It will be noted that the gibs 35 may extend above and below the slide I3, and the V-ways 34 mayextend the full height of the upper crosshead or slide I3. The height of slide I3 and, consequently, the length of the guiding surfaces is limited only by practical considerations. The preferred method of guiding is to make the gibs 35 long enough so that the slide I3 will be guided along its entire height during every part of the working cycle. These long guiding means, being for all practical purposes part of the rigid main frame I I of the machine, assure the precise alignment between slide I3 and table I2. The tapered bushings 32 will guide the draw-rods I5 and, therefore, the lower cross-head I 4. In as much as the lower cross-head Id has no primary effect on the alignment of the slide I 3, this inexpensive design will be found desirable for many types of punch press work.

The frame I I is provided with a number of strategically placed openings or windows as shown to allow access to the tools and to the operating mechanism. The reciprocating cross-head structures of the presses shown in the several illustrations are depicted in top dead-center position.

To make the description clear and simple, similar parts have received identical numerals in the several illustrations, but with a prime mark added, if necessary.

Fig. 2 shows a press similar to that of Fig. 1 with the difference, however, that the lower crosshead I4. is guided on the main frame I I in identically the same way as the upper cross-head I3, previously described in detail in connection with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is therefore also representative of a corresponding section through lower cross-head I l. No further description of Fig. 2 is believed necessary, but it will be understood that this design will be justified for extreme precision work and for high speed production in combination with automatic feeds, where even the slightest vibration of the lower cross-head structure might prove to be objectionable.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, it will be seen that the slide I3 is guided in the identical manner described before, but in a separate guide frame 40 which is rigidly connected to the main frame II by means of four tie-rods AI, whose threaded lower ends 56 engage tapped holes in pads 55 of lower frame II and whose threaded upper ends 54a are fastened to guide structure 4!] by coactive threaded nuts 56. This modification increases the visibility into the tools, while the guide frame 48 still insures precise alignment. The separate guide frame 40 may be secured to main frame I I in a number of other ways, such as for instance, by placing tubular spacers around the tie-rods 4| and preloading the latter. The draw-rods I5 have ample clearance in openings 22 of press bed I2 and are not individually guided. They will therefore have little, if any influence on the alignment of either cross-head (I3 or I4) On account of their slenderness, the rods I5 will transmit no appreciable bending load. They will therefore act as draw-bars under practically pure tensional load.

It is frequently desirable to place the punch press in an inclined position to let gravity help in removing the finished article. Figs. '7 and 8 show the arrangement of the underdrive punch press which permits the frame of the press to be inclined to the left or to the right of the vertical as desired. The outside of the crankshaftbearing hubs terminate in circular projections 12 and 43 which rest in suitable half-bearings 14 and 45 of pedestal 46. Bearing caps 41 and 48, fastened to pedestal 46 by means of bolts 59, hold the projections 42 and 43 of the main frame II" in sliding engagement. Circular slots 50 and 5| in the side frames of pedestal 46 have the longitudinal axis of the concentric part of the crankshaft I8 as center. Studs 52 and 53, threaded into main frame I I", serve to securely clamp the main frame II" to pedestal 46 by means of threaded nuts, after frame I I" has been rotated into the desired inclined position. By way of illustration, pedestal 46 has been shown as one integral piece, with cross-ribs 51 and 58 connecting the two side frames. This pedestal could, of course, also be assembled of two separate side frames with suitably arranged spacers therebetween.

The general arrangement of the inclinable press as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is identical with Figs. 4, 5, and 6, in that both upper and lower cross-heads are guided, while the draw-rods l5 have ample clearance in openings 22 of the press The clutch-flywheel will maintain its vertical position, when the main frame II" is being rotated into the desired angular position, because the axis of the crankshaft is being used as the pivot point or center of rotation for the main frame ll". The prime mover, mechanical variable speed unit or electric motor, for actuating the clutch-flywheel 28 and drive-shaft l8 may therefore be mounted on an extension of the pedestal 46. Thus the press with its drive may be moved as a unit from one place to another which is particularly convenient when the same press must be used in several production lines.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be apparent that the objects heretofore enumerated and others have been accomplished, and that a novel underdrive punch press has been created, having direct and positive guiding means for the upper cross-head or slide. With the construction shown, any load, whether eccentrically placed or not, will be counteracted where the load occurs, namely, at the slide itself. Reliance need not be placed henceforth in the secondary guiding action of the lower cross-head or in the rigidity of the rods l5 alone, which, with-out the primary guiding of the slide itself, are frequently subjected to severe bending moments and consequent elastic deformations. With present invention, the life of the expensive tools and the intervals between resharpening of the tools are therefore substantially extended.

Four gibs have been shown for guiding the cross-heads (Figs. 3 and 5), but actual requirements may dictate the use of fewer or more gibs. While the gibbing arrangement shown is of the V-type, any other gibbing known in the art, such as square gibbing, fiat V-gibbing, etc. may be employed for guiding the cross-heads. The novel guiding, method for the upper cross-head described may be used in combination with any type press with underdrive.

Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular constructions shown, which constructions may be varied within the scope of this invention, and it is my intention to cover hereby all adaptations, modifications, and variations thereof which come under the practice of those skilled in the particular art to which the invention relates.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a press with underdrive, a tiltable main frame, an upper cross-head, a lower cross-head, draw-rods for operatively connecting said upper cross-headto said lower cross-head, a drive-shaft supported by saidmain frame and located between said cross-heads for reciprocating the latter, a pedestal for tiltably supporting said main frame with the horizontal axis of said drive-shaft as the axis of tilt, and means for locking said main frame to said pedestal at the desired angle of tilt.

2. In a press with underdrive, a main frame, an upper cross-head, a lower cross-head, drawrods for operatively connecting said upper crosshead to said lower cross-head, a drive-shaft located between said cross-heads andjournaled in said main frame for reciprocatin said crossheads, guiding means for said upper cross-head constructed to slidingly support the latter, means for tilting said main frame comprising projections on said main frame concentric to said driveshaft, a pedestal including supporting means for tiltably carrying said main frame on said projections to permit said main frame to be rotated on said pedestal with the horizontal axis of said drive-shaft as the axis of rotation, and means for locking said main frame to'said pedestal in tilted position.

;3; In a press with underdrive, a tiltable main frame, an upper cross-head, a lower cross-head, draw-rods for operatively connecting said upper cross-head to said lower cross-head to form a cross-head structure, a drive-shaft supported by said main frame and located between said crossheads for reciprocating the latter, a pedestal for tiltably supporting said main frame with the hori zontal axis of said drive-shaft as the axis of tilt, motor means fixed on said pedestal, belt means for operatively connecting said motor means and said drive-shaft so that the drive tension of said belt means will not be affected when changing the tilt of said main frame on said pedestal.

FREDERICK K. MAUSSNEST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

